RE: Danger of DRM technologies stack

Karl Dubost wrote:
> 
> One of the dangers of making it easier for DRM to exist is that
> whatever "good intent", you were planning for, people will abuse their
> usage in any possible way.
> 
> 
> > Forget extra cupholders or power windows: the new Renault Zoe comes
> with a "feature" that absolutely nobody wants. Instead of selling
> consumers a complete car that they can use, repair, and upgrade as they
> see fit, Renault has opted to lock purchasers into a rental contract
> with a battery manufacturer and enforce that contract with digital
> rights management (DRM) restrictions that can remotely prevent the
> battery from charging at all.
> - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/11/drm-cars-will-drive-consumers-
> crazy
> 
> 
> DRM technologies stack is pervasive and toxic for the public good.
> They protect the interests of businesses only.
> 

Here's a thought: don't buy the Renault Zoe.

All of this ongoing teeth gnashing and wailing about DRM is all just noise.
Vote with your feet. Don't buy the Renault, don't take a Netflix
subscription, don't use a browser that supports EME/DRM/ABC/DoeRayMe. There
are choices of open source browsers, so take one, and ship it minus EME
support(*): if that is truly what the market wants, that browser will
succeed(**). 

The primary interest of *any* business is to a) stay in business, b) make a
profit in business. If businesses and their existi8ng business practices can
continue to do so, they will: make one of their business practices
unprofitable, they will adapt or die.

Everything else is fairy dust: wishing and hoping for a better world where
everyone sings Kumbia and has free everything aint gonna happen. It simply
won't.

Why is this so hard to understand?

JF

(* http://www.howtogeek.com/108608/  

** "...a mission to do X with the Web, without hundreds of millions of users
loving the products upholding that mission, is toothless." - Brendan Eich
https://brendaneich.com/2013/10/the-bridge-of-khazad-drm/#comment-16908)

Received on Friday, 22 November 2013 20:25:08 UTC